Sunglass Hut will launch a floating popup store on Sydney Harbour next week, promoting sunglasses for the new summer season. 

Globally, this marks the first floating pop-up location for Sunglass Hut,  part of the Luxottica Group, which has more than 200 stores in Australia and New Zealand and more than 2000 worldwide.

Visitors can take in the views while shopping the worldwide range of Sunglass Hut best-sellers and an exclusive 150 piece collection of-never–seen-before sunglasses, that will not be available for purchase anywhere else in the world until February 2012.

Sunglass Hut has put together a four-day pop-up package that incorporates a number of elements to provide a truly amplified brand experience.

The floating store is designed around the Sunglass Hut circle logo, incorporates a DJ booth and features a transparent fit-out to capture the beautiful Sydney Harbour surrounds.

“Retail is no longer just about four walls and a door and you cannot go past Sydney Harbour for an outdoor store – you would be hard pressed to find a better setting for selling sunglasses in the sun,” said Chris Beer, CEO, Luxottica, Asia Pacific.

The launch of the store will be marked by an exclusive event on 17 November at Campbell’s Cove, Circular Quay, inviting VIPs from around the world.

“At Luxottica, we believe that people around the world are hungry for innovative retail concepts that intensify emotions and enhance their purchasing experience. With the first floating store located at Sydney Harbour, Sunglass Hut sets the tone, attracting shoppers that will be inspired by the natural scenery while shopping the best eyewear selection of world-known fashion brands,” says Fabio d’Angelantonio, Executive Vice President Sun & Luxury Retail and Chief Marketing Officer at Luxottica globally.

“We also took this incredible opportunity to show off Sydney to our staff from around the world and ran a competition across the globe to select some of our top performers to be flown in and run the store,” said d’Angelantonio.

The Sunglass Hut floating store will be open to the public at the below locations and times:

Friday 18th November, Darling Harbour, 10am – 7pm
Saturday 19th November, Darling Harbour, 10am – 7pm
Sunday 20th November, Manly Wharf, 10am – 7pm

Ten percent of all sales from the floating store will be donated to Luxottica’s OneSight Foundation, a program dedicated to improving vision through outreach, research and education.